Estia Ereipio
Summary The Hearth Ruins, The Ruins, The Ereipio. These are refugees and criminals who have taken residence in the old Duaren Hearth cities and villages. Most impoverished squatters, working the land of absentee nobles. The Ruins are rife with danger--as slavers and press gangs roam the land, and evil things come down from the mountains. History The Hestia Magar, or "Great Hearth" as it was once known, was the breadbasket of the Overmountain Empire of the dwarves. Men farmed the land, traded in the in Hearth-cities (the mythical Seven Cities of Gold), and lived in peace for centuries. Evetually war came. In only 50 years, the newly united Midian Empire brought war from two flanks. And by guile and determination, they whittled away at the Hestia, until the dwarves and their bannermen broke apart. The Overmountain dwarves feel into dissarray and retreaed to their mountaion forges. And the Great Hearth became the Ruin. Present Day This is one of the most sparsely populated regions of the Midian Empire. Nobles from all three kingdoms have competing claims to the land. However, few of their merchants and house guards willingly stay on what is thought to be cursed land. Most lend their land rights to press-gangs who operate out of the Comete Kingdom or the Forja Gobli. Midian citizens, and merchants with passes are not subject to slavery--however most in the Ereipio. The land is much traveled by adventurers and brigands alike, who search for the gold of the fabled Seven Cities. Location The Estia Ereipio lies in a large vale to the west of the Drostyrmmyd Mountains. It is sandwiched between the Comete Kingdom to the north and west, and Sol Kingdom to the south. To the east is the Forja Gobli. Estimated Numbers The Empire census states the numbers to be 200,000 souls. But there could be thousands more in the Ruins, hiding from tax collectors. Known Towns The Estia has only two functioning towns within its borders. The remaining residents are scattered among hidden villages or temporary encampments. Ochag Ochag is a castra-town: built and run by the Midian Legions. It thought to be sited over one of the old Hearth cities. It has only 1,000 permanent residents, but balloons in size whenever the legion makes winter camp. Ochag is known for having fresh water all year round, coming from a mysterious underground source. The Empire has a legion in the area to keep a watch over the ambitions of the Forja Gobli and their kin. Dunhill Commonly known by as "Dung Hill," it is reputed to be the ugliest, most stench-ridden town in the Empire. The town is a giant abbatoir, overrun by livestock, criss-crossed by stock yards, slaughter halls, rivers of blood, with scattered whitened mud-brick houses (made from weeds, earth, and manure) pock-marking the muck. The clot of animals is only kept in by the Red Moat that wends its way below the Hill. The Red Moat is revolting, covered in black flies in the summer, and bubbling from its own heat in the winter. Dunhill serves as a leather and meat supplier to legions across eastern Midia; and the town is perpetually cloaked in a gagging miasmic cloud smelling of burning hair, offal, blood, and gas. Due to a lack of wood, its 10,000 locals have taken to heating their homes with gases from pig droppings. They use the remains of dwarven tunnels and septic system to pipe the gas from home to home. The city glows a flickering, ghastly blue in the night from all of the methane fires. And occasionaly a neighborhood explodes from the poorly maintained gas lines. Allies The Ereipio is Midian territory, policed by 1-2 legions, as well as house guards. It is loosely allied to both the Forja Gobli and the remaining dwarven forges in the mountains. Foes The Ereipio has no true foes. The remaining Dwarven Forges hope one day to regain the Estia; but it is strongly in Midian hands. Characters Legatus Illirium the Constant, head of the ( ) Legion Illirium is a high ranking noble of the Comete, serving a banishment detail in the Legion going on 15 years. He hates everything and everyone in the Estia Ereipio; and wishes only for his punishment to end. Illirium's sole comfort comes from the numerous bribes he takes from slavers and press-men, who scoop up who villages of civilians under his watch. Estana Eider, Half-dwarven treasure hunter Eider is a woman of indeterminate age, possibly over 100 years. She wears men's clothes and hides her dwarven heritage. She always pays her bribes, ostensibly to slave, but actually as a cover for her true activities. Eider is seeking the fabled Seven Cities . She is in possession of ancient dwarven scrolls and surveying devices. And she seeks out like-minded adventurers, who are willing to share the many risks of exploring the Ruins. Burqupuus, Gobli Leader of the Knocklouts Press Gang Burqupuus is the head of a very lucrative press gang that ships its captors north to the Comete. He is squat, hairy, scaled in some places with piercing orange eyes. Burqupuus wears a collection of found armor, and carries a sturdy lead-wood truncheon, called a Gobbli Bat twice his height, ending in a foot long spike (for the uncooperative captive) Category:Provinces and Lesser States